The setting was unusual. The book is set in the moors of England. While used a lot for mysteries, I'd not seen it used for stories of the supernatural. There was also a fun juxtaposition between the wet forests where the main character grew up and the dry desserts of Afghanistan where the now ex-soldier lost not only his unit, but picked up an unwanted spiritual hitchhiker as well.
“This is a truly gripping page-turner of a novel that left me seriously looking forward to the next book.” from Occult Detective Magazine
“Readers of Stephen King will find it engaging; a haunting, occult thriller with a twist.” from Number9BlogSpot
“Absolutely fantastic story I couldn’t put it down. You don’t see it coming and it’s totally different reading, I loved it.” from Howiesk
"Until now, I'd searched in vain for another book along the lines of Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series. Thank you for more than meeting my expectations." from Jay.
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On a fog-bound morning, Lorne Turner stumbles over…
The mystery of Nameless was very intriguing. I loved the sense of discovery as he went along, knowing he remembered nothing of who he was, yet he was certain there was a good reason for it. He suspects he even asked for it to happen.
A bloodthirsty sheriff is terrorizing a small Texas town where justice has been buried with his victims. Until Nameless arrives—a vigilante whose past is a mystery and whose future is written in blood.
Anyone who crosses Sheriff Russell Soakes is dead, missing, or warned. One of them is a single mother trying to protect her children but bracing herself for the worst. Nameless fears the outcome. He’s seen it in his visions. Now it’s time to teach the depraved Soakes a lesson in fear. But in turning predators into prey, will Nameless unearth a few secrets of his own?
I found out about Nero Wolfe as a recommendation from author P.N. Elrod as a TV show that had been done with an ensemble cast that included Timothy Hutton. I loved the episodes so much that I went looking for the book series by Rex Stout. The narrator is Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe's assistant and work prodder. His relationship with his boss is a gas. A weird symbiosis as they push and pull each other, making up for one another's weaknesses. My favorite is the fact that Nero doesn't want to work—he'd prefer to spend all his time taking care of his orchids and consuming beer and arguing with his cook about palatable culinary delights. So Archie is the pea under the mattress, trying this way and that to make Nero accept cases and work on them so they can make money for Nero to do the things he truly wants to do and Archie to get paid. So much to love!
As any herpetologist will tell you, the fer-de-lance is among the most dreaded snakes known to man. When someone makes a present of one to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's getting dreadully close to solving the devilishly clever murders of an immigrant and a college president. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case with more twists than an anaconda -- whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer who's still got poison in his heart.
She keeps her head down and cleans up messes. When the body count starts rising, will trying to make a living get her flushed?
Julia Xero is stuck in survival mode. After losing the only person she loved, the introverted orphan longs to escape her toxic employment for the zen of crime and trauma scene decontamination. But when she lands her dream job and is called to a bloody rooftop with a decapitated corpse, she’s horrified to come face to face with an otherworldly shark-toothed assassin.
Furious to learn she’s been enlisted by a clandestine race of beings against her will, Julia’s dismay fountains when she finds out they implanted her with a neck bomb to ensure her lips stay tightly sealed. Fit to be tied, and her thunderous confrontation with her boss hitting a dead end, the stubborn young woman begins plotting ways to leave the energy-powered entities in her dust.
Can she outwit an ancient civilization before her carotid goes boom?
The Secret Humankind is the gritty first book in The Discoveries of Julia Xero urban fantasy thriller series. If you like fish-out-of-water heroines, complex worlds, and dark truths, then you’ll love Gloria Oliver’s multi-faceted mystery.
Grab The Secret Humankind to match wits with monsters today!
